The Obama Girls As Normal Teens

This last weekend Rep. Stephen Fincher's (R) communications director, Elizabeth Lauten, put together a Facebook post seen likely around the world by now. Lauten dared to insult two people who should be beyond reproach at their ages - Sasha and Malia Obama. Lauten's complaint? The 13-year old and 16-year old Presidential Daughters were seen wearing *gasp* sweaters and short skirts during the Turkey Pardon!

More information on exactly what she said can be found here.

Now, while those skirts might be a little short for my parental taste, at least Malia is wearing tights...and I don't think Sasha was planning to have to do anything other than stand there (I'm always afraid, for myself or for my SD13 that if the skirt is too short, I'll move wrong, and then everyone around me will know me intimately...without my wanting them to. My husband and I are the only ones who need to know what color my underwear is thankyouverymuch).

What bothers me is Malia's "bitch face." Come on...anyone out there who has raised a teenage girl, or who works with teenage girls, or who has ever been paying attention when a teenage girl is being forced to do something she obviously does not want to do, knows what teenage "bitch face" looks like. And right there? In that shot above, and during most of the Turkey Pardon last week? That was Bitch Face.

In case you're still not convinced here are some examples:

And another example:

Oooh, and a couple more!

I'm sure that if someone had asked the girls if they wanted to be there for the annual Turkey Pardon, their answer would have gone something like this...

Bottom line, teens want to fit in. The opinions of their peers are the most important opinions in their LIVES. Which is unfortunate, because teens are basically brain-damaged adults. They are usually incapable of being emotionally intelligent or of thinking outside of their own small, personal bubble.

Teens don't want to be seen anywhere near their parents ("Ug, my parents are so embarrassing!!" is something uttered by most teenagers on a daily basis). They want to avoid anything seen as relating to their childhood, including anything that seems childish or silly, behind.

And in the case of teenage girls? Appearances are PARAMOUNT to their sense of self. "Is my makeup on straight," if they're allowed to wear makeup. "OMG, I had a hair out of place!" "I think my fingers are fat." "My nose is too big." They center on their looks, and how they believe other people are perceiving them. And that look on Malia's face? Definitely screaming, "This is SO DUMB. I can't believe I have to be here. Let's just get this stupid pardon of some stupid turkey we're probably going to eat ANYWAY over with. My dad took my cell phone until this is over and I just want to see if my friends have texted me to tell me how I look on TV."

Why? Because she is a teenager. Lauten would have done herself better to have decided to bang her head against a thick brick wall, than to suggest that two teenagers, because they are the daughters of the President and were on TV, should "show a little class."

Hopefully this incident has taught Lauten to "show a little sense."

Look, I may have only been a full-time Wicked Stepmother for a few years now, but from where I've been sitting, Sasha and Malia just look like normal teens, and while I'm aggravated by the body language that was displayed during the annual kitschy White House event last week, there's nothing anyone could have done about it. Why? Because they are teenage girls, aka, she-devil-aliens who spring up overnight seemingly out of the sweet remnants of little girls, and who stay heinous until they're about 17/18...or older.

But that said, I think the media should cut them a break, and remember that unless Presidential kids are off gallivanting and publicly shaming their parents with inappropriate behavior (ahem..a la...the Bush girls in their heyday...) then leave the Presidential kids alone. It's hard enough for them not being able to do "normal" teen things....like show up to a dance at school, or even a regular day, without Secret Service people in tow.